Buena Vista Geocaching Journey

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices (smart phone).

Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.

Win this Geo-Medal!

The Buena Vista Geocaching Journey takes you on an adventure throughout Chaffee County, Colorado USA home of the Upper Arkansas River Valley and The Collegiate Peaks. Our Geocache Journey has been created for you to discover hidden gems, historically significant locations and some of the most popular spots in our stunning area. It’s perfect for families, geocaching newbies and seasoned “cachers” alike. The word Geocaching refers to GEO for geography, and to CACHING, the process of hiding a cache (treasure box). Photo to the left: Buena Vista, Colorado, USA, Present-Day Present-Day Image, Courtesy of Baby Doe Studios

Buena Vista Geocaching Journey Prizes
In each cache box there is a special First to Find (FTF) prize that is custom made leather from our creative community.
Collect 30 Points on your Passport and WIN a Geo-Medal (shown on the left)
Collect 40 Points and WIN a Geo-Medal and Custom Hat
Collect 50 Points and WIN a Geo-Medal and Leather Credit Card Holder (shown here)

The passport tracks cache finds, i.e. once the cache is found there is a special punch inside to then punch one’s passport. Geocachers receive one point for each cache find (up to 25 points, 3 points for each nights lodging, 3 points for an adventure event per person, and 2 points per person for a meal. Prizes are awarded for 30, 40, and 50 point levels.

Join the Adventure

Twenty-five geocaches have been hidden throughout our majestic and historic Chaffee County, Colorado. Only 17% of the lands in Chaffee County are private lands so geocachers have 83% of public lands to play in and explore!

Due to the protection afforded by the Front Range (Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs) to the east and the Sawatch Mountains to the west, the valley is known as the “Banana Belt” and offers a mildly temperate climate, allowing for exceptional recreational and tourist conditions year-round.

Flowing through the valley is the Arkansas River, Colorado’s #1 rafted river with Brown Canyon national Monument, and two river parks. You can be enjoying adventures on the Arkansas River and within 30 minutes be on top of the continental divide via Cottonwood Pass and Monarch Pass. We are also home to two odorless, natural hot springs; Mt. Princeton and Cottonwood. Hiking, mountain biking, ATV and 4-wheel drive trails, whitewater rafting, kayaking, gold medal fly fishing, two hot springs, rock hounding, mining, skiing, snowmobiling and much more can be enjoyed in Chaffee County. There are numerous ghost towns and old mining camps, such as St. Elmo and Mary Murphy Mine.

Buena Vista elevation is 8,000 feet. We have twelve 14,000 foot mountains and 360° spectacular views. Thus our town is appropriately named “beautiful view.” Salida has the largest historic district and is a Creative District. Salida offers a large variety of galleries and numerous things to do. Nearby Monarch Mountain has 100% natural snow for skiing/boarding, and the summit at 11,952 feet offers stunning high pass views.

Sponsor

Sponsoring the Buena Vista Geocaching Journey is a great way to showcase your business as well as support the community and the Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce. Sign up now to be a sponsor. Many sponsorship levels and benefits are available.

How to Take Part

Visit Geocaching.com for a free basic membership and to register your username.

Find Buena Vista Geocaching Journey caches and use the cooresponding alphabetical letter “hole punch” in each cache on your passport. For example, the Clear Creek Fishing Accesss cache has the letter “A” punch in the cache.